Landslide traps 24 inside Mt. Province DPWH building

A Tuesday afternoon landslide trapped some 24 people inside the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH's) building in Barangay Banawel, Natonin, Mountain Province, local disaster officials reported.

Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera Administrative Region Director Ruben Carandang told GMA 7 late night news program "Saksi" that the earth-slide buried the DPWH building sometime between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Among the people trapped in the building were DPWH contractors, a project engineer, security guards, and evacuees.

Carandang said that first-responders were finding it difficult to reach the incident site because it was in an isolated area requiring up to 4 hours of land travel on zigzag roads from Bontoc proper.

"Walang makapasok na responders. Kaya bukas, nag-request ako ng two Air Force helicopters para mag-helicopter kami bukas, para makarating kami sa area together with the team of search and rescue and their equipment and K9 dogs," the OCD official explained.

The landslide was likely triggered by Tropical Cyclone Rosita was still a typhoon when it cut across northern Luzon, lashing the region with torrential rain and gale-force winds. —Dona Magsino/NB/DVM, GMA News